SAP to end support for customers in Russia at end of year

SAP said on Tuesday that it will allow maintenance contracts with customers in Russia to expire at the end of the year, the next step in the German software group's delayed exit from the country after its invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.

SAP said on Tuesday that it will allow maintenance contracts with customers in Russia to expire at the end of the year, the next step in the German software group's delayed exit from the country after its invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. Maintenance contracts with customers in Russia will not be renewed, an SAP spokesperson told Reuters. "Therefore, all maintenance contracts will expire at the end of 2023."

Russian newspaper Kommersant first reported the decision. The Walldorf, Germany-based enterprise software company in April 2022 joined Oracle Corp, Salesforce Inc and others in announcing plans to exit Russia after the invasion that prompted a slew of Western sanctions on Russian companies.

However, support for customers who were not subject to Western sanctions initially continued because a premature end would have resulted in contractual penalties for the company. According to SAP, the withdrawal also extends to Belarus, which has also been sanctioned by the West for supporting Russia's invasion.